Eyes In The Dark
by LexLogikk
Summary: -HAIATUS- Sakura still hasn't moved on. She still tries to find him. After three years, she still hasn't lost her hope for him to return. What happens when Sasuke comes looking for her? What happens when she sees his eyes in the dark...? SasuSaku
1. Prologue: Starting The Journey

**Hiya... this is just some idea I got today that I thought would suit a SasuSaku perfectly. So... the chapter is short (even though it isn't REALLY a chapter... lol) but you should lemme know what you think of it nonetheless!**

**Disclaimer: Yeah... umm... I'm not Japanese, male, or named Mishashi Kishimoto. So I guess I don't own Naruto.**

**Eyes In The Dark**

**By TheLextacyBlossom**

Sakura

Prologue:

To this very day, that night still haunts me in my sleep. The night I lost everything. The night I lost him. Even when I'm wide awake, and I'm with Naruto, or Ino, or Hinata, I don't see their face. I see his. Every night, I wake up to the sound of my screaming. Every night, I see him walk away from me. And every night, I wake up to find that he isn't there.

Even though it's been three years, I can't help but believe that the Sasuke I know is still out there, just lost within his need for revenge. I know that when the time comes, he'll come back… they always do, right?

So far, wrong.

Three years, I've been living off of the memory of him. But it's not enough. I don't know if I could keep going on without him for much longer.

So that's why I'm here, in the middle of only God knows where. Looking for him.

Guess what?

I found him.

Well… he found me. I had been setting up camp when a shuriken flew by my face. Looking up to see who had thrown it, I saw none other than the embodiment of my dreams. Everything I'd wished I had. Him.

"Ne, Sakura, what're you doing out here?"

I tried opening my mouth to speak, but I couldn't find the will to do so. I just stood there, trembling.

The raven-haired boy jumped down from the branch he had been standing on to right in front of me. "Sakura."

I felt the moisture in my eyes over flow and run down my face. "Sasuke…"


	2. First Sighting: She Doesn't Know It's Me

**Wow. Many big sorries for how long this took to update. Forever and a day. It wasn't even all that hard to write, I just never really got around to it. I will try to get the next chapter up soon. Scratch that, I WILL get the next chapter up soon. Writer's honor. But... reveiws would be MUCH appreciated! Reveiws make me a happy camper, and, from my experience, happy campers write faster. :D**

**Disclaimer: Once upon a time, there was a man named Mishashi Kisimoto. He had an idea. He created a little tiny graphoc novel. He showed it to people. People found out about it all over the world. Now, there is a little girl named Lex. She found out about his graphic novel. It was called Naruto. And Lex liked it so much that she wanted to write about it. But she didn't want to get sued, so she put in this little disclaimer. And the lawyers never came after her again. And she lived happily ever after, sitting at her crappy computer writing about the little graphic novel of MISHASHI KISHIMOTO, who is the owner of Naruto.**

Sakura

Chapter One: First Sighting; She Doesn't Know It's Me

Then I woke up. That morning was unusually peaceful, the dream already forgotten, left behind. It wasn't like I hadn't seen the dream before. I'd seen it every night. But for once, I hadn't woken in the night. I was shocked to find that out. _Does this mean that I'm… that I'm getting over him?_I thought, horrified by the very thought of letting him go.

"Sakura! Breakfast!" my mother called to me. I felt the hole in my stomach burn around the edges as the scent of a warm breakfast reached my nose.

"Mm…" I sighed. "Coming!" I hurried to get out of my light green pajama pants and soft pink tank top and into my every day outfit. I ran downstairs while tying my red Konoha headband. "Ohaiyo, kaa-san."

After breakfast I was to meet Tsunade-sama at the Hokage's tower. She is trying to get me to rethink my decision. But I'm going refuse, just as always. She knows I need to go, but she keeps insisting I take someone with me. But… I don't want anyone, not Naruto, not Kakashi, not even Ino, to be there when I find him. When I find him, I'm sure to break down. I can't let anyone but him see that, what he's done to me. It wouldn't be fair to them.

So I make my way out of my house and head over to meet Tsunade. Not bothering to knock, I burst into the Hokage's office. "Tsunade-sama, for the last time, I am not, I repeat, _not_, taking anyone with me." I told her. "Now, can you give me the damn assignment so I can be off?"

Apparently, the blonde was drunk out of her mind, so she waved me off and said, "You just be sure to – I mean, you just have to – ah, fuck it, just go!"

"Hai, Tsunade-sama." Not wanting to miss my chance, I run home, pack up my bag, and leave before the blonde could have a chance to clear her mind and send somebody after me.

Soon I was in the trees and on my way to find the one person in this world that truly means something to me. As I jumped from tree to tree, I was lost deep in thought. Or more like the past. Flashes of Sasuke from when we were young flashed before my very eyes, as if they were really happening.

As if he was really here.

The tears had started to flow down my face as I sat in the back of my mind, not able to stop the memories. They just kept coming and coming, but never an ending. Until… until that one memory, that still haunts me to this day. The memory of his back, of him walking away from me. The thought of him leaving. Leaving the village, leaving his friends, leaving me. Even after I tried to stop him, he still left, abandoning me on the cold stone bench. Even after I willingly shed tears in front of him, he still walked away. How could he?

_Plop!_

I felt the shriek before I heard it, the loud scream that could wake anybody within a ten mile radius (if there was anybody, that is.) I felt it escape my lips as I tumbled towards the ground. In my head, the only thing heard were screams. _Move, move, MOVE!__**I can't!**__What the hell happened?__**I don't know! Maybe my foot slipped, I don't know!**__Land on our feet!__**I ca-!**_

_Thunk._

I felt all air in my lungs rush out as my head hit the cold, hard ground. I felt something wet and sticky clung to my hand as it brushed against my thigh. I could smell a salty, rusty smell. I brought my hand up so I could see what was on it, only to see little dapples of color: dark reddish, from what I could see. _At least I can't feel the pain._I thought helplessly. My head was starting to feel light, dizzy. And then… nothing.

(()) (()) (())

I awoke in the middle of the night, sprawled out where I had fallen. My legs were caked in blood, as was my head. Every muscle I had ached. Every tiny movement hurt. I throbbed with pain as I tried to sit up. My eyes watered as I bit back the scream my body yearned to set loose. With some inhuman strength I didn't know I possessed, I somehow managed to crawl over to the trunk of the tree and lean up against it.

I willed the familiar green glow to form around my hand as I held my hand to my torn legs. The wounds were soon closed, but I still felt the noticeable ache within the muscles. Knowing I didn't have the chakra to keep up the glow, I quickly held my hand to my head, hoping to close it with the little bit of chakra I had left. When I felt the wound close I allowed the green glow to fade. I still ached everywhere, but I at least wouldn't die of blood loss.

My head fell back against the tree and I groaned. This was not going well. Being injured so soon after leaving was _not_ a good thing. If I slept there, I could be found, taken back to Konoha, and then… then I'd have to bring someone. "Gah!" I shout. Frustration was finding its way into my expression, my eyebrows furrowing with it.

_Well… what can we do?__**Not much.**__Geez…should we set up camp? Should we get going?__**From the looks of it, it's probably getting close to dawn. No point in setting up camp.**__We should at least try to find a river.__**Right.**_

I looked around, observing where I was. Somehow, I couldn't help but let my eyes wander up to a branch a few trees away. Somehow, I couldn't help but see something, maybe some_one_ in the dark. I saw someone's eyes.

I shake my head, trying to clear it. _Great. Now I'm delusional. Pathetic. No one is out here, Sakura._

(PoV change:Sasuke)

_The hell is Sakura doing here?_ I thought as I saw the flash of pink run through the trees. _She shouldn't be here alone._ Picking up speed, I rush after the rosette, staying a good distance away, but still being in eye-shot.

After a while of following Sakura, I see something glint off of her face. Looking down, I see that the branch I'm on has _teardrops_ on it. Sakura was _crying_. I activate Sharingan, only to see that most of the branches in her path have the same pattern of moisture on them. And then, all to fast, I see the pink head of hair slip from the branch. I hear the frightened shriek pierce through the trees. All the birds go flying as I lunge to catch her.

But then I stop. _Wouldn't… wouldn't she be after_me_? Wouldn't she be out here, all alone, looking for me? Trying to bring me back? As much as I'd like to… can I really risk being found to save her?_ I think. _I…I can. I should. I… I will._

Thunk.

_Sakura!_ I flinch as the rosette's head crashes into the ground and I lurch forward. My heart stops as I realize she wasn't breathing. Taking a deep breath in an attempt to calm my nerve, I lower my head to hers, my lips sealing over hers, my breath crawling down her throat. I start pumping my palms into her chest, trying to start her heart. Another breath, another kiss. More pumps. More breaths. And then the most musical, joyful sound in my world. The smallest, quietest groan of life. The thumping of her heart. The brisk inhales and exhales of her sweet breath.

A small smile finds its way across my face as I hear her breathe. "Sakura…" I whisper. I look at her, seeing the scrapes, cuts, and blood that covers her legs. I want so much to bandage them, I couldn't risk her knowing someone was here. So I sit against the tree, keeping a close eye on her, making sure to be ready to leave as soon as she is conscious again.

Hours passed and the rosette finally woke, groaning from the ache her muscles had to have. With a final glance, I spring from my spot to a branch a few trees away. I see her slowly sit up, biting her lip to not scream. Her eyes were now watering out of pain. With a great amount of effort, she crawls over to the tree I had been sitting against just a few moments previously. I saw a green glow form around her hand. _She's a medic nin now, huh? Impressive. She's got potential._ I sigh. _Well… at least I have something to do now. I can't let her go out looking for me alone. She'll kill herself._

As her head leans back, I thought I saw her run her eyes over me. But she was either too tired to know it was someone, let alone me, or I was too far away to be distinguished from the night. But, one thing was for sure. She saw my eyes in the dark.


	3. Meeting Taku: Would You DIE For Her?

**Hey hey.(: Sorry this update took so freaking long. I'd been going through huge writer's block, even though I knew what I wanted to do. This chapter (and the next few) will have a few OC's, but they're unimportant. No, Sakura will not get together with any of them. This is a SasuSaku.**

**I thought Sasuke's part was KIND OF cheesy, but... eh. Oh well. It was okay.**

**Read and Review, otherwise I'll start imposing the "I need # of reviews per chapter before I'll upload." And that would be bad because it's already taking me forever to write these chapters. ALTHOUGH... I wrote this in like an hour, if you count the small revisions I made as well. :3**

Disclaimer: Am I even _legally_ _eligible_ to copyright anything?

* * *

Sakura

Chapter Two: Meeting Taku; "Would You DIE For Her?"

After resting beside the tree for a little over an hour, my muscles – though still tired – seemed able to move me. But my movements were sluggish, slow, weighted-down. My pale arms would often dart out to steady myself on a branch or a tree-trunk because my sore legs couldn't keep me upright. I was limping. No, not even limping. Limping would require one _good_ leg. Both of mine were shot dead. I was hobbling, bordering the line of falling to my knees and crawling.

Well… I was only _bordering_ crawling for just so long. About ten minutes of walking, my legs collapsed underneath me. My knees ached from the impact, so I couldn't even crawl for that time being.

I groaned loudly in pain, leaning up against the nearest sturdy thing and shutting my eyes tight, grabbing at the torn and sore flesh of my kneecap. I had fallen on sharp twigs and rocks, conveniently enough.

_Pathetic,_ I growled. _Absolutely pathetic. Crying like an infant. You're a __**shinobi**__! Grow up! You've been in worse pain!_ But, nevertheless, tears flowed from my closed lids.

"Ma'am, are you okay?" a voice asked.

My lively green eyes fluttered open. Before me was a boy who looked to be about my age, maybe a year older. He had pale skin, much like my own, and brown hair that was short and kind of spiky. His amber-colored eyes glowed, seemingly with concern.

My cheeks flushed a pale pink. "Uhh… I, uhh… no, not really," I finally managed to say. I looked down at the many scabs on my legs and imagined what the scab on my head must've looked like.

He crouched down to look me in the eyes. "Could I offer my assistance?" the boy asked. "You look horrible."

I smiled faintly. "Yes, thank you." The boy smiled and stood up, holding down a hand for me. I took it and tried to start pulling myself up, but couldn't manage it. Not that he noticed. The boy must've been much stronger than he looked, because he pulled me upright without even barely flexing a muscle. And I didn't do any of it.

"There we go," he said with a warm smile. "What's your name?"

"Sakura. Haruno Sakura," I told him.

He smiled warmer. "Sakura… it fits you."

"And what about you?"

"Taku. Miotsu Taku." He looked up for a moment. "So, Sakura-san, can you walk?" he asked, once again looking back over to me and noticing me hanging onto the tree for dear life.

"No, probably not. I fell from a tree a few hours ago."

"Shinobi don't do that a lot," he said.

"How'd you know I…?"

"Your headband," he said. "Aren't you supposed to take those off when you don't want civilians to know?"

I blushed. "I was in a hurry. I guess I forgot." I looked down at my hurriedly-assembled civilian clothes and realized my costume was counter-productive. I was running on tree branches in stiff jeans and a T-shirt. I should've thought a little bit more. But I didn't really have the time to. If I had waited to think these things through, I would've ended up having to bring Naruto or Ino.

"So why'd you fall? Bird poo on the branch?" he teased lightly as he wrapped his arm around my waist.

I snorted, throwing my arm over his shoulder. "No. I was thinking and therefore not paying attention; I misjudged the distance from one branch to the other by about four feet."

He chuckled. "Nice." We started hobbling away. I felt someone staring at me, but I didn't think I had the energy to turn and look, nor did I want to arouse a suspicious glance from Taku.

Taku took me to a small camp about ten miles away from where I fell the second time. It was a band of civilians – traveling performers. Taku was just there because his mother was. He said he really would've liked to go to the big city (Konoha,) but he couldn't because his thoughtless, reckless mother would do something drastic and get herself killed. So he stayed with her.

His mother certainly wasn't much of an adult. She seemed to like childish-looking clothes and had a spark of youth in her eyes, as Lee would say. Sure, she seemed wise enough to be a mother, but she seemed to lack the business-like aura most adults had. I liked her.

There was a lot of young women and men, and some elders, but not a lot of children. Not that it surprised me.

After a lot of people asking Taku who I was, he finally managed to escape to the fireside and tend to my wounds. We talked softly for a while as he worked.

"So what does your mother do?" I asked.

"She's a dancer, just like most of the other women in the group. But, since she has a son, she's not… well… a prostitute anymore. That's how she wound up with me in the first place."

"Does that mean you… never knew your father?"

"Nope. Not until I was about ten. The group left the night after the show, and my mother didn't know about me until a few weeks later. They didn't get back to the town for another decade or so."

"And then you met him?" He nodded. "What was he like?"

"Well…" he sighed. "Let's just say my mother and I aren't his first family, so to say."

My shoulders slumped. "Oh. I'm sorry," I said, looking away.

He held a hand to my face, pulling me back to look at him. "Don't be. My mother is raising me well. And I'd rather have half of the family be missing than have _that guy_ be in it." He smiled. "Seriously, don't worry about it."

I nodded and forced my mouth to turn up in the corners.

Soon, Taku had finished wrapping up my legs and my head, so we just sat by the fire and talked. He wanted to know all about Konoha, about my family and friends, about what it was like to be a Shinobi, and why I was out here in the first place. He also asked if I had a partner out here, although I was sure he meant if I had a boyfriend in Konoha. I giggled softly and told him no.

I told him all about Ino and Hinata, about my mother and father. I told him about the Academy, how I placed the top of my class. How we were teamed up into four-man cells, the Genin and one Jounin. I told him about the Chuunin Exam, how the lazy Shikamaru was the only one to pass. I told him about Sasuke leaving… and then Naruto going to train for two and a half years. I told him about how I became the Fifth Hokage's apprentice, and how I supposedly have potential to surpass even her in Medical Nin jutsu. By the time I finished, the Sun had set and the forest was dark.

"Time for bed," he told me. "You can sleep in my tent; I'll use my mother's."

I smiled. "Arigatou, Taku." I bowed to him respectfully and he laughed.

"Don't mention it." He walked me to his tent, said goodnight, and walked to the tent next door. I sat down on the bedroll and sighed, laying back on the soft makeshift mattress. My mind went dead the moment my eyes shut.

Sasuke

I watched Sakura stiffly from my tree, never letting out a breath until she finally looked away. She closed her eyes and leaned against the tree once again, her head limp against the wood. Eventually, she opened the same lovely green eyes and clawed at the tree, trying to stand up. She did manage to stand, but she couldn't walk straight. Limping would be an understatement. But she did move, which I guess was sort of impressing.

Just not for long. Within twenty minutes, she stood up, walked about forty feet, then collapsed. She cried out in pain and I winced. _Maybe I could help her… she doesn't have to know it's me, right? I mean, I could change my appearance._

But right as I was about to go down to her, another boy came up to her. I fought back a growl as I listened to them.

"Ma'am, are you okay?" he asked her in a sickly sweet voice.

She looked up, opening her eyes once again. She murmured something, then said no.

He crouched down in front of her, getting way to close to her face for my comfort. _That bastard…_I thought. He stood back up and gave her a hand, lifting her upright. When he started wrapping an arm around her waist, I almost jumped down and killed him right then. Almost.

The started hobbling away from me, so I started following silently, my Sharingan eyes always locked on the pretty rosette. The two walked for hours before anything but forest was to be seen. They finally reached a small camp, a band of travelers I saw a good hour before Sakura fell. Now that I thought about it, the boy did look familiar: the son of a has-been prostitute, hitting on Sakura. The thought brought bile to my throat.

A bunch of people came up to them, asking the boy who she was. After they all left, he sat her by the fireside and kneeled in front of her, rubbing a lotion into her sore legs and bandaging them up, talking warmly to her all the while. When he finished, she started taking control of the conversation. I caught shreds of it, bits and pieces here and there. She was talking about Konoha. About Naruto, Ino, Hinata, her mother, her father. About… me.

When the Sun set and the fire burned out, he walked her to a tent and said goodnight. She went inside the tent and he walked away. I hopped down, landing in front of him.

He skidded to a halt, eyes widened with shock. "What the hell…?!"

I glared at him with my blood red eyes. "You're treading murky water, boy."

His breathing started to regulate. "And what does _that _mean?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I suggest you start leaving the girl alone."

He remained silent for a moment, then smirked. "Ohhh… I see. She's _yours_." He rolled his eyes. "She told me she's single. She's fair game. And I happen to like her," he told me smugly.

_Pig. What a pig._ "And you like her so much that you're willing to fight for her. Is my assumption correct?" I asked, just as smug.

He smirked. "Most definitely."

"Do you like her enough to _die_ fighting for her?" I challenged.

"Are you saying you'd kill me to keep me away from her?" he challenged back.

I smirked for a moment, then appeared behind him with a blade to his back. "Most… _definitely_," I whispered darkly.

His body went stiff. "Shinobi…" he murmured under his breath.

"Oh yeah." He gulped silently, probably saying his prayers. "You know, you never answered my question."

"Uhh… what was the question again?"

"Would you _die_ for her?"

I could tell all his smugness and bravery was pouring out his ears. "No," he said, almost shamefully. He looked down.

I smirked one final time, then put the blade away. "Then don't. Keep your hands to yourself and we won't have this conversation again." I jumped away into the darkness, watching him growl, grind his teeth, then walk into the tent beside Sakura's.

When no one was in sight, I slipped back down from the tree and walked over to Sakura's tent. Pulling the drape open, I slowly walked inside, kneeling near the opening. She tossed and turned a little in her sleep, but her eyes never opened. I steadied myself, preparing for a long night of watching her slumber…


	4. Chapter Three: He's Here? : Come With Me

Hey all! Glad to say that I'm on Summer Break. Aka. I'll be updating wayyyy more often!

Writing this chapter, I decided I wanted this to be kind of short. Face paced. Like, no more than ten chapters, short. I have somewhat of a plotline for this, but it's not too long, so the story shouldn't be all that huge, either. In the future (after this chapter-ish,) the story is going to be jumping around a bit. I'm thinking I'll go into a bit of a relationship building and then some action... and this'll probably be the last chapter with both points of view in it. I'll probably start going back and forth, unless there's some things I need to do in both. Maybe, maybe not.

Anyway, without further ado, I'd like to present Eyes In The Dark, Chapter Three!

Disclaimer: If I was the owner of Naruto, Sasuke would've hooked up with Sakura the moment she tried to stop him and Naruto killing eachother and he never would've left. But, there are a gajillion heartbroken fangirls crying over his empty apartment, so I guess I'm still just a fangirl myself.

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Chapter Three: He's Here? – Come With Me

I woke up early to the feeling of someone watching me. I was getting that feeling a lot now days, and it was starting to freak me out a lot. I could've sworn that the drape to the tent I was sleeping in was moving when I looked at it, but I had to remember it could've just been the wind. After all, I wasn't sleeping in a building anymore. There weren't firm, unmoving walls around me anymore. Not to mention I could feel the draft already.

I shivered, pulling my blankets closely around me, hoping to generate enough body temperature to make myself at least a little warmer. When all attempts at warming myself failed, I sighed and stood, searching for my other set of clothes in my backpack, Slipping into the shorts and tanktop I had grabbed earlier (wondering I hadn't worn them yesterday,) I walked out into the camp, noticing joyously there was already a fire going.

I took my seat around the blazing logs, smiling at everyone around me, occasionally replying to a heartfelt, "Good morning." After a while, I started to wonder where Taku was, and why he wasn't trying to talk to me like he had just yesterday. Gazing around the camp for a while, I realized I never saw which tent he slept in last night, so I didn't know where to look. But, nevertheless, I spotted him coming out from behind the drapes in a purple tent on the far side of camp. I waved to him.

He waved back, but not as cheerfully. When he took his place beside me, he didn't try to strike up a conversation as I thought he would. Did I have messy hair? Was my face pimply or something? Why wasn't he talking to me?

I noticed his face looked tired, even though he must've gotten to sleep almost as early as I had. His eyes had dark circles under them and his posture was slumped. "What's wrong, Taku…?" I asked after too long of a silence.

He looked over at me exhaustedly. I thought I saw a flicker of hate or anger run through his eyes. "I had a run in with your _boyfriend_ last night," he muttered, a tone of hate definitely present.

I looked at him. "I don't _have_ a boyfriend, Taku. What're you talking about?"

He shrugged. "He was some shinobi guy with black hair and a sword that said he'd freaking kill me if I "touched you." Sounds a hell of a lot like a boyfriend to me."

My eyebrows furrowed. "Black hair…?"

Taku nodded.

"What did he look like, besides black hair?" I asked, starting to get suspicious.

"Red eyes that scared the living daylights out of me," he murmured.

"R-red eyes…? Are you s-sure they were red…?" I choked on my words. _It's not _possible_! Sasuke-kun couldn't be _here_! He just couldn't be!_

"They were freaking red, Sakura. No doubt he's looking at me right now, just waiting for a reason to kill me."

I spun around, looking into the darkness. This time, I _knew_ there was somebody looking at me. Somebody was watching over me and was threatening civilians. _Sasuke… where the fuck are you?_

I saw motion in the darkness, I thought, and jumped into it, not even looking back at the gaping Taku behind me. "Sasuke!" I called, searching through the trees. "Sasuke, where are you?"

I almost missed the branch again, but I caught myself in time to grab onto it with my hands and swing around, placing my feet on it and darting forward again. "I know you're out here, Sasuke. Where are you?" I looked around for a moment, but saw nothing. I felt no gaze in my back.

My shoulders slumped. Was I starting to get delusional? But how could I be? Taku said the eyes were red. Who else has red eyes that bore themselves into your brain until you're frozen with fear? And black hair just adds to it, as does the sword. It _had_ to be Sasuke. Didn't it?

That was close, I thought, sliding behind a tree. The hell was that kid thinking? Telling Sakura about me being here? I was going to have to speak with him again if Sakura stayed with them another night. But I was going to have to be careful. Sakura was going to be really suspicious from now on. I couldn't risk getting caught again. She'd take me back to Konoha. And then I'd be killed for being a missing nin.

But maybe _I_ could take _her _along with _me_. Obviously, I wouldn't force her to. But if she saw me, let me talk to her, maybe I could get her to come along. Maybe I didn't have to be alone. But that would put her in danger, too. She'd become a missing nin, just like me. Did I want that for her?

No. But I'd let her have the choice. She could leave and forget she ever found me, or she could come with me. If she ever wanted to go back to Konoha, she could go. She never had to worry about me, because whether she came with me or not, I was staying away from Konoha.

Yes, I decided. I'll let her choose. But when should I let her see me…?

I turned, jumping to the tree next to the one I was on. It took me a long while before I realized I had unwillingly just answered my own question. I was standing right in front of her. Shit, shit, shit!

I was about to jump away, back into hiding, when Sakura said something. "Sasuke…?"

I turned back to her, unable to turn away when she was talking to me directly.

"Sasuke… are you… are you really here…?"

Sighing, I nodded.

Moments later, I was tackled to the ground, her arms around my neck. "Sasuke-kun! Sasuke! I can't believe it! I found you! In just one day, I found you!" she cried happily. I could tell she was feeling all sorts of emotions, not just joy. When she let go of me, she looked at me with a look of more than just happiness. There was frustration, sadness, loneliness, excitement, and disappointment, all lingering in the same green eyes I had come to know. Without warning, they filled up with tears.

"Why did you leave…?" she asked quietly, her shoulders slumping as the ecstasy faded. "Why'd you leave me, Sasuke…? You left me on a bench. With out a note, without a promise to return… you just left me!"

I looked at her, some of her sadness reflecting in my eyes. "I-I…"

"And I didn't see you for another two years, Sasuke._ Two years_. I started to think you were some sort of mirage. That you weren't real. But I saw your face every night in my dreams. _Every night_. I still see it, Sasuke. Three years later. It still haunts me."

I frowned. "I'm sorry," I told her. "I'm sorry for leaving you on a cold bench without a proper goodbye. I'm sorry for disappearing into thin air. I'm sorry for making you hurt like this. But I can't go back to that place."

She looked at me for a moment. "But… but you have to. All our friends are waiting for you."

"_Your_ friends, Sakura. I'm not going back."

"But you have to! I don't want to go back without you. I won't!" Her eyes told the same story. She was going to stay with me.

"I'm not going back to Konoha, Sakura. But…"

"But what…" she asked after a while of silence.

"But you don't have to, either."

She was completely silent for a moment, letting my words sink in. "Y-you want me to come with you…?"

I sighed and nodded. "Yes… but you have to realize… if you come with me… you won't ever get to see anyone ever again. And you wouldn't be able to go back. You'd be just like me; missing. Missing Ninja are killed, Sakura. You're _supposed_ to be killing me right now."

She shook her head. "I would never hurt you. And… I don't care if I would be missing or not. I-I… I don't want to go back to thinking you were some figment of my imagination. I can't live like that. I-I… I want to be with you…"

I looked at her for a moment, searching for any sign of hesitation in her eyes, but there was none. She wanted to come with me.

"Then… we might want to be going. I'll bet they already have people out looking for you. You came on your own, right?" She nodded. "Then there will _definitely_ be people looking for you. I don't feel like a show down with Naruto right now." I turned and jumped away, knowing she would follow me.

Little did I know exactly what it was I was getting us both into.


End file.
